Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-09-01
REVOLVING CRUELTY.
An Educated Russian Woman's Story OF
Priva.iOn and Suffering.

An Educated Russian Voman's Story OF
Priva.ion and Suffering.
Nine. c., nee Koutouzoff, was
found guilty of opening a school for
peasants children, independent of the
Ministry of Public Instruction. AS her
crime was not penal, and as, moreover,
she was married to "a foreigner, General
Gourko merely ordered her to be sent
over the frontier. This is how she de-
scribes her journey from St. Petersburg
TO Prussia. L shall give extracts from
her narrative without comment, merely
promising that its accuracy even to
the minutest detail, is absolutely un-
impeachable.
81 was sent to Wilno with fifty pris-
oners-men and women. From the
railway station we were taken to the
town prison and kept there for two
hours. late at night, in an open yard
under a drenching rain. At last we
were pushed into dark corridor and
counted. After many oaths and much
foul language the fire was lighted, and
found myself in a spacious room in
which it was impossible to take step
in any direction without treading on
the women who were sleeping on the
floor. Two women who occupied bed
took pity on me and invited me to share
it with them.
"When awoke next morning / was
suffering from the scenes Of yesterday,
but the female prisoners-assassins and
thieyes-were so kind to me that by
and by grew calm. Next nighc we
were turned out from the prison and
paraded in the yard for start, under
Il heavy rain. do not know how
happened to escape the fists of the
Jailers, as the prisoners did not under
stand the evolutions. and performed
them under storm of blows and
curses, those who protested-saying
that they ought not to be beaten-welp
put i'll irons and sent to the train, in the
teeth Of the law, which says that in the
cellular wagons no prisoner shall be
chained. Arrived at Kovno, we spent
the whole day in going from
one police station to another. In the
evening we were taken to the
prison for women. Here | spent Il
week among murderesses, thieves and
women arrested by mistake. Misfor.
tune unites the unfortunate, and every
body tried to make life more tolerablC
for the rest; all were very kind to me
and did their best to console me. On
the previous day | had eaten nothing
for the day the prisoners are brought
to the prison they receive no food; 50
tainted from hunger, and the prisoner,
gave me of their bread and were as kind
as they could be. The female inspec.
tor however, was on duty. She wa,
shouting out such shameless oaths a;
few drunken men would use.
CATER weeks stay in Kovno wa
sent on foot to the next town. Aftel
three days march we came to Marian
pol; my feet were wounded and m,
stockings full of blood. The soldier
advised me to ask for q car, but | pre-
ferred physical suffering to the contin
uous cursing and foul language of tn
chiefs. All the same, they took m,
before their commander, and he re
marked that 1 had walked three day
and so could walk fourth. We cam
next day to Wolkowsk, whence W
were TO be sent on to Prussia. l an,
five others were put Professionally in tn
depot. The women's department wa
in ruins, so we were taken to the mems
~ did not know what to do as Their
was no place to sit down, except upol
the dreadfully filthy floor There wa
even no straw, and the stencil on tn
floor set me vomiting instantly. Here
spent two days and two nights, passin
the whole time at the window. On til
third day a soldier of the depot, Jew
took me into his room, tiny cell
where | staid with his wife.
"The prisoners told me that many c
them We're detained 'by mistake fo
seven or eight months awaiting thei
papers before being sent across tn
frontier. It is easy to imagine thei
condition after'a seven months stay i
this sewer without change of liner
They advised me to give the jaile
money, as he would then send m
on to Prussia Immediately. But ha
been six weeks on the way alread
and my letter had not reached m
people. At last the soldier above
me to 90 to the post-ollice wit
his wife, and sent a registered lettC
to St. Petersburg" Nine. c. hc
influential kinsfolk in the capital, an
in few days the Governor-Gener;
telegraphed for her to be sent on il
stantly to Prussia. my papers (sh
says) were discovered Immediately, an
was sent to Eydtkunen and set ;
liberty" 1t must be owned that th
picture is horrible. But it is not n VIII
overcharged. To such of us Russian
as have had to do with prisons ever
word rings true and every scene lool
normal. Oaths. filth. brutality, briber,
blows, hunger-these are the essential
of every ostrog and of every depot fro
Kovno TO Kamchatka and from Arcl
angel to Erzerum. -KFGpotbine'S Ri
sian and French Press.
Engaging Manners.